


Under the Waves

by paxambabes



Category: The Mighty Boosh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Falling In Love, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 01:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14344935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paxambabes/pseuds/paxambabes
Summary: Howard was lonely and threw himself into his work, but when he meets someone special, everything changes.





	Under the Waves

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Boosh fic and I'm really nervous so I thought I'd start with something cute. Enjoy!

Howard's life was pretty uneventful to say the least.

He spent his days diving into the ocean to study the creatures there, and sure it was fun, but everything else about his life was boring and unremarkable. His people skills were horrible and he was so lonely. He only had one friend, Naboo, and he was definitely a strange character who claimed to be a shaman. Whether he is or not is up for debate, but he doesn't bother Howard and he's a good roommate so Howard didn't mind him. What he really wanted was someone to make him happy and spend the rest of his life with. He was getting older and he'd pretty much given up hope at this point. So he spent his days in the ocean, surrounded by the beauty of the wildlife. At least down there he wasn't so alone. Howard normally stuck to the shallows, but today he was tasked with going further out to study a certain kind of fish. He liked it when he got to venture out from the shallows, the vastness and deepness of the ocean somehow comforting to him. 

It was a quiet day, much like every other day and the waves were gentle. He parked the boat in his usual spot, diving in with his gear and swimming down to his destination. It was beautiful down here, only him and the animals in sight. As he swam, something shiny caught his eye. It swam by him so fast that he could only catch a mere glimpse of it, but it looked like a very long black tail. Howard swam after it until he saw it settle down on a rock at the bottom of an incline. He quickly hid in a clump of seaweed, hoping he wasn't visible to whatever it was. After all, he didn't know if it was dangerous. Howard could barely see something else shining through the bush, so he pushed some of it out of the way, wanting to gasp at what he saw.

There was a man laying there on his back on the rock, long black hair moving idly with the waves. He was beautiful, more beautiful than any man that Howard had ever seen. There was a necklace of pearls adorning his neck, connected to a harness of more pearls across his chest. There were gems in between the pearls, shining nearly as bright as the man's eyes in the sunlit water. There were purplish scales scattered across his torso, fading into a deep black as they went further down. His hands were webbed, long nails dancing along the sides of the rock. Howard was taken aback at the sight before him, the man taking his breath away. Howard's eyes trailed further down, seeing a long tail where legs should be. It was black like the man's hair, but had purplish patches that shone like an oil slick in the light. Several fins of the same color jutted out from the sides, two small ones also on his waist where the tail met his stomach. What really got Howard's attention though was the fin at the end. It was enormous, the fin itself a deep purple color. It looked just as majestic as the man it was attached to, and Howard felt like he was looking at a work of art.

There had been legends of mermen that were passed down through families, but most people who claimed to see them were older fishermen who weren't the most reliable. They'd been regarded as fishermen's tall tales for centuries, the other divers scoffing at the idea of them. But here he was, staring at something that shouldn't exist. No legend could live up to the true beauty of the man as he laid there, staring up at the surface. Howard just floated there, trying to calm his breathing. The merman then slowly raised his arm, as if he was wishing to touch the surface. But they were far enough down that he couldn't, and Howard heard him let out a long sigh as he dejectedly dropped his arm. He tried to get closer, but his oxygen tank suddenly scraped against the ledge. The man jumped, staring straight at Howard, looking afraid. He carefully swam down, trying to approach the merman with caution, hoping not to scare him away. Howard reached a hand out to him, hoping to get him closer. The merman slowly started to swim towards Howard, a look of curiosity on his face. 

It wasn't long until they were face to face, the man experimentally reaching out to touch Howard's gloved hand. He could feel the man's tail lightly brush against the fabric covering his legs, his hand fitting into Howard's. His eyes were glued to the creature's face, little scales peppered along his cheeks. He could see the gills on the man's neck and the fins on his ears moving with the water. The merman's eyes were locked on Howard's, a toothy smile starting to form as he reached out to touch Howard's face. His skin was soft, his long nails skimming across Howard's cheeks. 

"Humans really are something," the creature spoke, his voice light and airy. Surprisingly, he had a heavy accent, fairly heavier than Howard's. He laughed as he touched Howard's face, tilting his head to the side and grinning. All Howard wanted was to hear that laugh again, to live in his eyes. Howard looked up at the surface, seeing the sun starting to set. He pulled away from the merman, frowning under the mask as he started to swim up. Just as he started to make his way up, the merman grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave," his voice sounded sad, his eyes now downcast. Howard just pointed to his tank and the man seemed to understand, nodding.

"Come back tomorrow?" he smiled slightly as Howard nodded, the man letting go. When Howard reached the surface, he felt an ache in his chest at the absence of the handsome merman. It was almost like he was drawn to him, like there was something special about him. The sun began to set as Howard climbed back onto the boat, seeing the waves ripple beneath him. As Howard started to drive away, he heard something against knock against the boat. He looked back, the merman's head above the water, waving at him. Howard couldn't help but smile, waving back at him. Eventually he lost sight of the man, making his way home. That night he dreamed of the sea, and being held in the arms of the strange merman.

Howard kept his word and came back the next day, opting to stay on the boat this time, wanting the man to really see him. An hour passed and Howard grew worried, hoping that he wasn't being stood up by a merman. That'd be just his luck though, since he was no stranger to being stood up by handsome men. But soon enough, there was a familiar tapping on the side of the boat.

"Took you long enough," Howard smiled as the man hooked his arms over the side and propped his head up, staring at Howard.

"I had to look presentable," he purred, twisting a strand of his hair around his finger. Today he seemed to have opted for a more simple harness, this one with fewer pearls and a few emeralds mixed in. He also had a small silver circlet on, a giant emerald embedded in the center. He sure was flashy, but it was a good look on him.

"So, you gonna tell me your name, handsome stranger?" the man smirked, leaning further over the edge.

"It's Howard. Hopefully you'll tell me yours?" 

"That sounds like such a boring and stuffy name. Mine's Vince. I think it fits me quite well to be honest. Yours does too," Vince snickered as he looked at Howard, laughing at his outfit. He was wearing his usual Hawaiian shirt and his hat, but he didn't think any of it looked funny.

"You really need a new wardrobe. It looks like you're a boring old tourist," Vince laughed, his tail splashing in the water behind him.

"What exactly is wrong with it? Everyone loves the way I dress, if you must know," Howard raised an eyebrow, really not wanting to fight with a merman about his dressing habits. Although Vince seemed to know his stuff, even if he went a little overboard on accessorizing. He was a merman after all, and he seemed to really love gaudy and shiny things. 

"Yeah, if by everyone you mean your grandparents," Vince smirked again, giggling as he saw Howard make an offended face. 

"You really are feisty, aren't you?" Howard sighed as he sat down near the edge where Vince was perched.

"Give me a chance and I'll show you just how feisty I can be," Vince's voice got low, his eyes getting dark as he met Howard's eyes. Howard tried not to think about the implications as he quickly changed the subject. He eventually asked Vince about himself, and about merpeople culture. He seemed to be excited to tell Howard all about it, telling him that he was quite popular with both the men and the ladies back home.

"It's no surprise to be honest. You really are beautiful," Howard mused, immediately blushing at what he just said. There was that sweet and airy laugh from Vince again, 

"You really know how to capture a man's heart, don't you?" Vince was laughing again, tilting his head to rest on his arm. Howard felt something tug at his heart at the look on Vince's face. Maybe it was fondness, but he couldn't be sure. This was the first time they'd properly met and Howard didn't think he could be falling in love already, but here he was. They sat like that for a while, discussing each other's lives together. When Howard had told Vince about his unluckiness with partners and friends, he'd cracked a few mean sounding jokes, but he could tell that Vince didn't mean it since that's just how his humor was. After the jokes were done, Vince seemed to genuinely be surprised at why nobody like Howard. 

"Believe me, I've met enough humans to know that you're not bad. In fact, you're probably the only one who hasn't tried to capture or sleep with me," Vince snorted, rolling his eyes at that last bit. Howard wasn't surprised that people were lusting after Vince, after all he was too, but he couldn't help think of what could happen to the merman. He didn't want to think about that as Vince kept talking, sharing stories of his previous encounters. As the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, Vince suddenly started to try and climb over the side of the boat.

"What are you-," Howard started, but was interrupted by getting an armful of Vince as he flopped onto the deck of the boat, water going everywhere. He knocked Howard over, his tail thumping against the deck. 

"You need to get back in the water! Aren't you going to die?" Howard panicked, trying to shove Vince back to the side. But Vince just held onto him, his arms resting around Howard's shoulders.

"I'm not that fragile. Just splash water on my gills every few minutes and I'll be fine. Now let's just cuddle," Vince snuggled up to Howard, a noise akin to purring coming from him as he curled his tail around Howard's legs. This whole situation was weird, but Howard didn't even mind anymore.

"So I bet you're not that popular with the general populace?"

"Excuse you, I happen to be very popular. People just can't handle my genius!" Howard narrowed his eyes at Vince, earning him a laugh.

"Sure then. If you have so many friends, I'd love to meet them," Vince smirked, resting his head against Howard's chest. That same stirring in his heart started up again, and it was then that Howard knew he was getting in too deep. There was no way a literal mythical creature would be interested in him. Not even regular people were. But not only was Vince constantly flirting with him, he also seemed to be genuinely interested in Howard's life. He told Vince about his jazz playing and Vince had snorted at that, calling it obnoxious noise. Sure they were complete opposites, but they seemed to meld well together, somehow.

Hours passed as they laid together like that, Vince laying on top of him and Howard occasionally splashing water on his gills. Before long it was nightfall, and Howard had to get home.

"Same time tomorrow?" Howard questioned, hopeful that Vince would say yes.

"Of course," Vince smiled, his little sharp teeth glinting in the fading light. Vince crawled off of him and let Howard lower him into the water, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt the waves beneath him.

"As much as I loved that, I love being in here more," Vince mused, smiling as took Howard's hand and pressed a light kiss to the back of it. Howard froze right there, surprised by the action. He gave a smile to Vince as they waved goodbye to each other, Vince disappearing beneath the waves.

They met like that for months afterwards, spending lazy days on the deck of the boat and Vince taking him underwater to show him his favorite spots to relax and show him where some of the rarer animals were. He helped Howard with his research, bringing him samples and going on and on about the wonders of seaweed paste and how he used it to add volume to his hair for when he's on the surface. Howard was almost touched at the revelation that Vince routinely tried to look good for him, almost like he was trying to impress him.

Three months after they first met, Vince asked Howard to meet him on the beach at dusk when the beach was clear. He said that he had a surprise for Howard and that it would be a night to remember. Being the stupid idiot he was, Howard had actually asked him if it meant sex. Vince had laughed so sweetly at that, saying that it was something better. That night, Howard went to the beach and looked around for Vince, seeing that he was nowhere to be found. He was terrified that Vince had lied to him just to get his hopes up. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a splash on the shore. Sure enough, Vince was there and he had a package wrapped neatly in seaweed.

"I know you're not one for accessorizing, but this is the best I could do," Vince motioned for Howard to come forward, handing him the package. Howard started to unwrap it, and nearly gasped at what was inside.

It was a small necklace, made of silver with a few pearls and rubies along the length of it. There was a large conical shell at the bottom, stripes of gold inlaid on it. Howard wanted to cry right then at how much effort Vince had probably put into it, into something just for him.

"This is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever given me. Thank you so much," Howard could feel the tears starting, turning his head away so Vince wouldn't see him cry. He was a man, dammit, and he wasn't about to cry in front of the man he loved. But he was stopped by a gentle hand lightly holding his chin, keeping him there. He could feel the webbing between Vince's fingers tickling his skin, the waves crashing behind them. It was just the two of them like that, neither one wanting to break the silence.

"It's okay if you cry, believe me I do it all the time," Vince laughed softly, that cut little lopsided smile of his warming Howard's heart. Vince's hand dropped down to Howard's arm, leading him further into the shallows until he was sitting in the water on the shoreline. Vince was in front of him, leaning into Howard's touch and relying on him to hold him up so that their faces were inches apart. Howard was holding his breath as Vince stared at his lips, his breath hot against Howard's face.

"If you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do, then I'm not very-," Vince cut off Howard's rambling by gently pressing their lips together. It was everything that Howard had hoped for. Vince's lips tasted of salt water as he deepened the kiss. Howard let out a small moan at that, feeling Vince smirk against his lips. Vince shifted until he was sitting awkwardly in Howard's lap, tilting his head to the side so they could keep kissing. It felt like heaven right then, kissing the love of his life beneath the stars. His scales shone like diamonds in the moonlight, casting shadows on the sand beneath them. After a few moments had passed, Vince broke the kiss.

"How was that for you?" he smiled, laughing as Howard turned bright red, clutching the necklace in his hand. Vince reached over and took it in his hands, bringing it to rest around Howard's neck. He positioned it and clasped it together in the back, sitting back and looking at his work.

"I guess this means we're together now," Howard blushed, running his fingers across the smooth pearls as the necklace shone in the light. Vince just chuckled, bringing him in for another kiss.

They sat and kissed under the stars for what seemed like hours, Vince eventually getting out of his lap and laying next to Howard on the sand. He took Howard into his arms, the fin of his tail brushing against Howard's legs as he curled around him. Eventually Howard grew tired, kissing Vince one more time as he fell asleep in the merman's arms.

As he fell asleep, he thought that maybe happy endings do come true after all.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at transantisepticeye.tumblr.com


End file.
